NIU intramurals, starting again this semester, mean an alternate way of experiencing the thrills and agony of competition through a wide variety of sports.

Options available to students include basketball, floor hockey, volleyball, four-on-four indoor soccer, four-on-four flag football and seven-on-seven outdoor soccer. The minor sports include badminton, racquetball, walleyball and tennis.

In all sports, participants compete against fellow NIU students instead of outside competition.

“This program went very well last semester because the number of participants went up,” said Amy Fawcett, coordinator of the NIU Intramural Sports Program. “I would like to see more women participate in each sport. A big part of participating in a sport is commitment, and a lot of students are burned out by the end of the day.”

The intramural program promises exercise, recreation and fun to participants. Freshman accounting major Clinton Petershas played in coed intramural softball.

“It went pretty well,” he said. “My team had a 4-0 record, but we lost in the playoffs. I would recommend intramurals to anyone who enjoys playing sports.”

Freshman psychology major Tamara Leupold feels too busy with school, but nonetheless has interest in the program.

“I would like to play volleyball because I played it in high school,” she said.